Book Review: Autism and Asperger's in Schools

Book Review: A Best Practice Guide to Assessment and Intervention for Autism and Asperger Syndrome in Schools by Lee A. Wilkinson

I have had to read many research-based guides during my professional career and most of them were well written yet very technical and difficult to understand. I am pleased to say that I did not find that to be the case with A Best Practice Guide to Assessment and Intervention for Autism and Asperger Syndrome in Schools by Lee Wilkinson. The author not only presents academic research but he translates it all into words that are easy for anyone to comprehend.

All 208 pages of this book are filled with research-based information about the best practices schools should adhere to when assessing and intervening with children in schools. The author does a wonderful job presenting all of the data, facts, figures and statistics in a very structured layout that is straightforward, practical and convenient to access.

As the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders continues to expand, this book is a crucial addition to any school library. It is no longer possible for school systems to ignore or continue to deal with developmental delays in piecemeal fashion and Lee Wilkinson has put together an excellent comprehensive manual to guide school personnel in addressing these issues.
The increased prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders requires professionals to identify children as early as possible in their school experience. Whether a child comes to school diagnosed or not Lee Wilkinson’s book is the perfect guide for schools to follow in order to set the ball in motion to access the earliest intervention services possible.
I found this to be a very user-friendly book as evidenced by the following:

• The two case studies Wilkinson includes in the book helps the reader comprehend all the information presented by actually seeing the best practices in action and how they apply in real life situations.

• The author was very thoughtful to include a glossary of terms and acronyms to help those who are new to the arena of Autism Spectrum Disorders translate meaning and decipher what the abbreviated codes stand for quickly.

• Frequently asked questions and an abundance of forms such as worksheets and checklists make this book a convenient one stop shopping experience for the reader.

• The “Quick Reference” boxes at the end of each chapter help to summarize the chapter information even further or highlight a specific strategy that was presented.

• I was extremely impressed with the detailed “index to best practice recommendations” which not only summarizes the process at the various stages but the index also supplies the corresponding page for the reader to access more detailed information about each practice.

As a school social worker who worked in the public school system with special needs children for seventeen years this book would have been a very helpful tool for all school based professionals to access. With the rising incidence of children being diagnosed on the Autism spectrum, this guide should be required reading for all direct service providers who work with children in the school setting. On behalf of the Autism community I extend a sincere thank you to Lee Wilkinson for this impressive and most valuable resource!

Reviewed by Connie

Parent Coaching for Autism